Odisha: Talcher-Puri MEMU train derails near Puri station, no injuries reported
Puri, August 14
The Talcher-Puri MEMU Passenger train derailed near Puri railway station in Odisha on Friday, with the incident occurring around 500 metres from the station near Platform No. 3.
The train was moving at a slow speed when the derailment occurred, due to which no major damage was reported. No injuries have been reported in the incident.
Railway staff and personnel of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) reached the spot soon after the incident and brought the situation under control.
Work to remove the derailed train has commenced. The incident caused minor disruption to train movement in the area, while no other trains were affected.
Earlier in May, the Ujjain Express met with an accident near Yog Nagari Railway Station in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, on Monday night around 9:30 pm as three coaches of the train derailed.
The incident took place in the Khand Village area. Fortunately, no passengers were on board the train at the time of the accident, officials said.
Preliminary findings suggest that the train suffered a brake failure during routine maintenance. Several questions have been raised regarding the movement of the entire train. Allegedly, senior railway officials did not reach the spot for two and a half hours. A large crowd gathered on the tracks after the accident. GRP (Government Railway Police) personnel took charge and cleared the people from the site.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Living in Odisha, this doesn't surprise me anymore. The MEMU trains are often neglected and run on old tracks. Glad no one was hurt, but the authorities need to stop treating these incidents as routine. We need better maintenance schedules and track inspections.
Every time I see such news, I remember my daily commute on these trains. It's scary, honestly. The RPF and railway staff did well to respond quickly, but why should passengers live in fear every day? The government talks about Vande Bharat but forgets the common man's trains. 😔
This is the same old story - slow speed saved the day. But what if it was a fast train? The fact that senior officials didn't reach the spot in the Rishikesh case for 2.5 hours is unacceptable. Accountability is missing at every level. We need a proper inquiry, not just statements.
As someone from Puri, I'm relieved there was no casualty. But we can't ignore the pattern here - this is the second incident in months. The Puri-Talcher route badly needs track renewal. Our local politicians should also raise this in Parliament instead of only focusing on elections. 🙏
Honestly, kudos to the railway staff for acting quickly and managing the situation without panic. The crowd control at the Rishikesh site was handled well too. But these repeated derailments show we can't just rely on reactive measures. We need proactive investment in track maintenance and staff training across the country.
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